What to expect on the General Election campaign trail on Tuesday
Here is your guide to the main developments in the General Election campaign on Tuesday.
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Your support makes all the difference.Ahead of the Tory and Labour leaders going head-to-head in a TV debate, here is your guide to the main developments in the General Election campaign on Tuesday.
– Reform re-enters
Although they held a campaign launch under former leader Richard Tice, the Reform party has a renewed drive as Nigel Farage took the helm of the party on Monday with plans to launch his candidacy in Clacton.
Potential for an open-top bus and music in the Essex seaside town promise to align with Mr Farage’s stated goal of adding some excitement to “the dullest, most boring election campaign we have ever seen in our lives”.
– Keir closes the door on Putin
Sir Keir will meet pensioners in the North West of England on Tuesday to discuss the cost of energy and talk about Labour’s plans for GB Energy.
Following on from Monday’s focus on defence, Labour will push energy as a national security issue.
On Tuesday, he will say the party’s plan to set up a publicly owned clean energy company will help to protect the UK from spikes in the price of fuel like those that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“With Great British Energy, my changed Labour Party will close the door on Putin,” Sir Keir has said.
“Energy policy is now a matter of national security. It is a key component of our country’s resilience and capacity to weather future shocks.”
– Sunak closes the door on migrants
Home Secretary James Cleverly will be campaigning in the South East on Tuesday as he outlines the party’s plans that would give Parliament a direct role in setting levels of migration with MPs having a vote on the number.
Rishi Sunak has announced his party’s commitment to capping the number of visas in an effort to make migration numbers fall year on year in a future parliament.
The Prime Minister may have a renewed ambition to “stop the boats” after being photo bombed by a small boat full of Lib Dem campaigners, deputy party leader Daisy Cooper among them, on Monday.
Mr Sunak said: “We have taken bold action to cut the number of people coming to this country. The plan is working but migration levels are still too high, so we are going further.
“Labour’s migrant amnesty will make the UK a global magnet for illegal immigrants and they have no plan to reduce net migration, while we have a clear plan to stop the boats and put a legal cap on numbers.”
– Sir Ed promises to care for carers
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey is expected to be back out on the campaign trail on Tuesday as he highlights a “deeply personal” issue by promising free day-to-day care for adults.
Ms Cooper certainly did not let Sir Ed down on the stunt front, as the Lib Dems have already garnered a reputation for creating photo-ops, as she sailed behind Rishi Sunak with a group of supporters waving orange party placards.
On Tuesday, Sir Ed will outline his party’s belief that provision of care should be based on need rather than ability to pay, as they promise what it described as free personal care for people either at home or in care homes.
– PMQs but on TV
As the country prepares to scrutinise Sunak and Starmer during their head-to-head debate on ITV at 9pm on Tuesday, BBC political scientist Sir John Curtice said debates may not be as impactful as many are inclined to believe.
He said the “Cleggmania” that emerged from then Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg’s triumphant performance in the 2010 leader debate did not translate to a resounding success for the party on polling day.
He told BBC Newsnight: “That first leaders debate way back in 2010 certainly had an impact on the campaign, the Liberal Democrats rose quite spectacularly in the polls, but actually, by the time we got to polling day they were almost back down again and actually, they did end up with six fewer seats than they had in 2005.
“That indeed, was one of the surprises of the election.”
He added: “But very often leaders debates, in a sense, rehash what voters already know, rather than telling them something new and therefore they don’t necessarily have that much impact.”